This invention generally relates to bird feeders and, more particularly, to bird feeders with at least one collapsible component.
A popular pastime for people around the world is observing birds. An old and successful technique for attracting birds for viewing is to suspend a bird feeder from a tree branch or other elevated member in plain view of the observer.
Existing bird feeders take a wide variety of forms, but typically include a cylindrical, rectangular, or frusto-conical shaped dispenser, the lower end of which is formed into, or is attached to, a receptacle. The dispenser has an inlet at or near its upper end for receiving bird seed and an outlet at or near its lower end for dispensing bird seed. Bird seed gravitationally dispenses from the dispenser into the receptacle as the bird seed is consumed by birds.
It is often desirable to remove a bird feeder from its location of use to a location for storage for a certain period of time. For example, when natural food is plentiful, as in the warmer months in geographic regions with more distinct seasons, birds may not eat as much, if at all, from bird feeders. One may wish to then place the bird feeder in temporary storage. When natural food is less plentiful, as in the colder months, the bird feeder may be removed from storage and returned to use. Conventional bird feeders occupy a significant amount of storage space because of their high profile, bulky construction and limited collapsibility. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a bird feeder having a low profile for storage.
Similarly, such conventional bird feeders typically are rigid or bulky to package, ship, store and display for sale, or if packaged in pieces, require assembly by the retailer or user. A bird feeder with a low profile that is readily collapsible would reduce such packaging, shipping, storage and display costs and space requirements.
Moreover, it is desirable to have bird feeders that are aesthetically pleasing. Often, bird feeders are bulky or large or poorly colored and not particularly attractive to a human observer.
These and other problems are addressed by the bird feeder of the present invention. In one embodiment, a bird feeder is provided that includes:
(a) a flexible dispenser having an input for receiving bird seed and an output for dispensing bird seed in communication with said input;
(b) a receptacle located below said output of said dispenser for the dispensed bird seed; and
(c) at least one attachment member for flexibly attaching said receptacle to and suspending said receptacle from said dispenser, wherein when said dispenser is empty, said dispenser is collapsible and at least partially receivable in said receptacle to provide a low profile.
The dispenser can be formed from any flexible material, and preferably is formed from water resistant or waterproof fabrics. As used herein, xe2x80x9cfabricxe2x80x9d refers to a material made from mechanically interlocked fibers, filaments, yarns, or threads, such as by weaving, knitting, felting and the like. In one configuration, the dispenser is formed from natural and/or synthetic (e.g., thermoplastic) fibers, preferably waterproof Such fibers include a polyamide (e.g., nylon etc.), cellulose (e.g., flax, hemp, rayon, cotton, jute etc.), polyester (e.g., dacron, mylar, etc.), animal skin or hair (e.g., wool, equine hair, fox hair, mink hair, leather, etc.), polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene (e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene), polyurethane, polyether, formaldehyde, vinyl (e.g., polyvinyl chloride, etc.), glass (e.g., fiberglass, etc.) graphite, polyacetate, polycarborate, silk, among others. The receptacle may be composed of any rigid, semi-rigid or flexible material, or a combination thereof The receptacle is designed to hold bird seed, to maintain a desired distance from the dispenser, and to provide a structure on which a bird may perch. In one configuration, the receptacle is composed of at least one of metal, plastic, wood, fabric or any other rigid, semi-rigid or flexible material or combination thereof In another embodiment, the receptacle is constructed of one or more flexible materials, preferably the same material used in the construction of the dispenser, and most preferably comprising a stiffening element for support.
The receptacle may be any number of shapes and configurations. For example, in horizontal cross-section, the receptacle may be square, triangular, polygonal, oval, among other shapes and preferably is circular. The receptacle may be flat, but preferably has some depth in order to hold a desired quantity of bird seed in operation and also to hold at least a portion of the dispenser when collapsed. The receptacle may also have holes, other openings or other mechanisms to allow water to drain from the receptacle.
For convenience, the dispenser may include a drawstring, clamp, zipper (such as a xe2x80x9cZIPLOCKxe2x80x9d-type device), hook and loop fastener, or other closure device to selectively open or close the input before or after the dispenser is filled with bird seed. All or part of the closure may also function to connect the bird feeder to an object. For example, the closure may be a drawstring that, upon closure, forms a loop that can be attached to an object, directly or indirectly such as with a S-shaped hook or the like, thereby suspending the bird feeder.
To facilitate flow of the bird seed through the output and into the container, the dispenser in one configuration tapers downwardly from a position above the output to the output. For example, a middle portion of the dispenser has a horizontal cross-sectional area that is greater than a horizontal cross-sectional area of the output to control the flow of bird seed from the dispenser. The middle portion is, of course, located above the output. The dispenser above the middle portion may have the same, greater, or even lesser cross-sectional area than that of the middle portion.
To help control a rate of dispensing of bird seed from the dispenser and the receptacle from overflowing with bird seed, an upper edge of the receptacle is preferably located above the lowermost edge (or mouth) of the outlet. Also, to provide the outlet of the dispenser with a more stable or consistent size and shape and thereby facilitate consistent flow from the dispenser, the outlet of the dispenser may be stiffened, e.g., by folding over a portion of the dispenser to double the thickness of the material, by adding another material near the outlet, or by constructing a dispenser with material near the outlet that is less flexible than other portions of the dispenser.
The attachment member typically includes at least three and more typically at least four lengths of chain, wire, fabric, cord or the like. As used herein, xe2x80x9ccordxe2x80x9d refers to any elongated filament or fiber or collection thereof such as rope, thread, yarn, etc. As will be appreciated, other types of flexible, semi-rigid, or rigid elongated members can be used as the attachment member. For example, a semi-rigid or rigid member may be folded, removed or telescopically reduced in length, thereby facilitating the collapse of at least a portion of the dispenser into the receptacle, or in alternative embodiments, the collapse of at least a portion of the receptacle into the dispenser. Also, the attachment member may be releasably attached and then removed as desired.
Attachment members of differing lengths may be provided, or preferably the attachment members may be adjustable in length. A portion of the dispenser and/or the receptacle may alternatively extend towards the other. Attachment members of different lengths or that are adjustable in length facilitate providing the proper distance between the dispenser and the receptacle, which is dependent on the size and shape of the outlet opening of the dispenser. A variety of combinations of dispensers and receptacles may then be provided, with the attachment member changed or adjusted to the appropriate length. The attachment members may be adjustable in a variety of ways, including the use of a telescoping or folding attachment member, or a flexible attachment member having one or more rubber O-rings, a bar through the attachment member, a mechanical grip, a spring, a toggle, a knot, or a barb to adust the length thereof.
In one configuration, the points of attachment of the lengths of attachment member to the dispenser are located in a substantially horizontal plane to provide stability to the bird feeder when suspended.
In another embodiment, a bird feeder is provided that includes:
(a) a dispenser having an input for receiving bird seed and an output for dispensing bird seed in communication with said input, a vertical center axis of said output being substantially collinear with a vertical center axis of said dispenser;
(b) a container for the dispensed bird seed, the container being located below the output; and
(c) at least one attachment member for attaching the container to and suspending the container from the dispenser;
wherein at least one of the dispenser and the container is at least partially collapsible.
The dispenser maybe rigid, semirigid, or flexible, or a combination thereof Similarly, the container may be rigid, semirigid, or flexible, or a combination thereof. For example, the dispenser or the container may be constructed of wood, metal, a wide variety of plastics (from rigid to semirigid to flexible), and/or fabric, or combinations thereof The container also may be constructed of the same or different materials as the dispenser, e.g., a fabric dispenser and a semirigid plastic container, a fabric dispenser and a fabric container, a rigid dispenser and a rigid container, and many other combinations.
The bird feeder may also comprise a horizontal cross-sectional area of the output that is less than the horizontal cross-sectional area of a portion of the dispenser located above the output to control the flow of bird seed from said dispenser. A vertical center axis of the output is substantially collinear with a vertical center axis of the dispenser to inhibit blockages or impediments to the flow of bird seed through the outlet and into the container.
In yet another embodiment, a method for storing a bird feeder is provided that includes the steps of
(a) providing a dispenser for containing and dispensing bird seed movably engaged to a receptacle for receiving bird seed;
(b) collapsing at least a portion of the dispenser; and
(c) placing at least a portion of the dispenser in the receptacle.
After placement of the collapsed dispenser in the receptacle, the profile of the bird feeder essentially becomes the profile of the receptacle. As will be appreciated, the receptacle is typically bowl-, pan-, pot-, box-, or saucer-shaped and therefore normally has a low profile. In the example of a flexible, fabric receptacle, the profile of the bird feeder may collapse to any number of folded, balled, or stuffed shapes, including by placing the collapsed bird feeder into another container for storage, shipping, display, or the like.
To erect the birdfeeder, the method can further include the steps of;
(a) removing said dispenser from said receptacle;
(b) returning said dispenser to a non-collapsed position;
(c) placing bird seed in said dispenser; and
(d) suspending said dispenser for access by birds.
Because the receptacle is typically suspended from the dispenser, the collapsing step often includes the substep of folding at least one flexible attachment member connecting the dispenser to the receptacle. At least a portion of the flexible members are generally received in the receptacle with the collapsed dispenser.